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Thai government to use Pokémon Go craze to boost tourism

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports plans to promote the country’s tourist spots with the popular smartphone game Pokémon Go.

Since the augmented reality game requires players to walk around real-life places to capture the digital monsters on their screen and level up, why not use it to encourage tourists to come catch some Pokémons in Thailand?

In the ministry’s initial plan, twelve cities in Thailand have been selected as must-see tourist sites. The selected cities are aligned with the Ministry’s own Tourism Gateway campaign.

However, reports of accidents and crimes associated with users of the game have made it a controversy. This has led to a ban in several countries.

Addressing this issues, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Pongpanu Sawetaroon said that authorities involved in the project have a list of protocols and policies in place to ensure the highest degree of safety and convenience for tourists as the game is expected to kick off in September.

The Ministry is now making preparation for their negotiation with the telecom company True Corporation, who will own the exclusive right to Pokémon Go in Thailand. This will be done in order for both parties to decide on an appropriate course of action, reported Thai PBS.

In the negotiation, True will be expected to come up with safety measures for users of the game. Pongpanu was quoted as saying that he did not want a repeat of the incident where two men walked off a cliff while playing Pokémon Go in California.